Portraits Of The Pope

OFFERINGS

Gianni Giansanti has been covering John Paul II since the Polish pope's election in 1978. This collection of previously unpublished photographs captures the essence of the pontiff - from laughter to bemusement to silent reflection and even exhaustion.

The book offers spectacular moments from the globe-trotting pope's numerous trips, as well as a look at John Paul's private life inside the Vatican.

The text by Marco Tosatti, a longtime Vatican observer and Italian journalist, helps put the inspiring, and sometimes startling, photos in context.

The author, a rabbi and mother of two, decided to write this book after finding rows and rows of books on how to teach children to read, get babies to sleep and prepare food for toddlers, but none on how to nurture a child's soul.

The book is divided into chapters that correspond to an ordinary day in the life of a parent and child. Fuchs writes of the importance of rituals, and her words flow with the compassion of a mother convinced of the sacredness of her task. This is a solid contribution to an often neglected subject.

Like the publishing of Mark Twain's obituary, the announced death of mainstream Protestantism is a bit premature, the authors believe. In Vital Signs, they summarize a vast amount of historical research on the denominations called mainline, or liberal, Protestants.

Despite obvious signs of decline among many of these denominations, the authors see the opportunity for renewal. They conclude that the forces affecting mainstream Protestantism are not new or unique and that those forces shape the rest of American culture as well.

MUSIC

THIRD DAY. Third Day. Reunion. 44 minutes. This band's musical intentions are clear from the very start of the disc with a squall of feedback. Third Day squarely occupies the same turf (sanctified section) as alternative popsters such as Stone Temple Pilots, but that doesn't mean that they go easy on the message. Vocalist Mac Powell's Layne Staley-style delivery meshes perfectly with the big message and the churning sound.

SOMEONE WHO CARES. David Robertson. Star Song. 50 minutes.

With this sophomore effort, singer/songwriter David Robertson attempts to solidify the success of his first album, which put four singles in the Christian Top 10.

Robertson's husky tenor is distinct, but it will all be for naught if he allows sugary convention to weigh his work down.

Otherwise well-done and unsurprising except for a welcome upbeat playfulness.